00:00Welcome back to Newswire here on SportsGrid. NBA free agency is off to a hot start. NHL free agency seems to be around that path too, but officially begins in 45 minutes from now.
00:11Let's bring in Joe Madden for the rumors that we've heard and what we can expect over the next few days. Joe, great to have you back here on Newswire.
00:19Let's start off with the biggest moves and then we'll get to the champs here who seem like they're going to run it back again.
00:24But one of the bigger moves being reported thus far, the Toronto Maple Leafs trading Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights, who's also getting a new contract extension.
00:35What does this move mean in terms of making the Golden Knights better? We know that, Joe, they fell short this past season.
00:42They've been very competitive since coming into the league several years ago. Does this make them much better?
00:47Oh, it absolutely does. Mitch Marner is a fantastic player out there and I do think you'll be able to get over that playoff hump.
00:54And that's the struggles we did see with him with Toronto. He just wasn't able to show up in the playoffs, but the team as a whole wasn't able to get there either.
01:02So I do think Mitch Marner coming here to Vegas, he's going to have to show up right away.
01:06Not like when he first joined the Toronto Maple Leafs where there was that time gap where he was able to get a little bit of reprieve.
01:13I think here in Vegas, the ownership is going to want him to show up big and he will show up big for this team.
01:19And he's going to have such a better work lifestyle out in Vegas.
01:23You look at the Toronto media, they're so hard on those players.
01:27And in Vegas, he's going to be able to raise his family, walk those streets without having media all over him.
01:33Yeah, definitely a good point there.
01:35Now, for the Florida Panthers, Joe, as soon as they won the championship,
01:39as they were partying into like the 72nd hour, all of the players were saying that they were going to be back with the Panthers next season.
01:48We see that a lot in sports, but we don't really see that check being cashed.
01:52And it certainly has.
01:53Brad Marchand, six-year contract.
01:56It's going to take him into his 40s.
01:59Aaron Ekblad is going to be back as well.
02:01It looks like Sam Bennett is too.
02:03I mean, Joe, this is sort of historical in sports to see players taking crazy discounts to try and win a third championship.
02:11Yeah, between all three of these guys getting re-signed, they definitely did leave money on the table, especially Ekblad out there.
02:17But I do think their competitiveness, their willingness to take that pay cut to win really did come into play.
02:25Now, we look at Brad Marchand signing a six-year deal, and yes, he's going to really be at the top of his limit of playing for his age.
02:33But you look at that six-year deal, he might only play for four.
02:36We just don't know how long he's really going to play.
02:39Florida might have to eat that money.
02:41But for Florida, their chance of three-peating here with Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, and Ekblad is definitely there.
02:49Now, they are over cap at the moment, so there's going to have to be some movements before the season kicks off.
02:54But we know how the IR can work, putting those players out there.
02:59It will be interesting to see how healthy Matthew Kachuk is actually, or if he's going to be on that IR list, at least to start the season.
03:07Interesting point there.
03:09All right, now let's get to the Red Wings.
03:10Boy, they really need a boost.
03:12So they signed Patrick Kane to a one-year contract, a fantastic player in the past.
03:17Can he kind of reclaim where he used to be?
03:20He can.
03:21Patrick Kane is getting up there for, not for his age, but for how he plays out there on the ice.
03:28I do think Patrick Kane is a fantastic player, but he needs to really bring it this upcoming season.
03:33And I do think it's great for the Red Wings.
03:35They needed to sign Patrick Kane here and get him into the mix and have him really strong for them.
03:41So I like the move with Patrick Kane.
03:43We're seeing a lot of movement happening out there already today.
03:47And I do think the Red Wings won't be done.
03:49Joe, what else is happening on the free agent wire today that you see that could be impactful?
03:55Yeah, I think the biggest one is Demko out here getting a three-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks.
04:00We know Demko was up as well.
04:02And you don't ever want to see a goaltender leave.
04:05Demko, when healthy, is a fantastic goaltender.
04:07And he needed to stay with them.
04:09We're also seeing Jake Allen being signed up with the New Jersey Devils' five-year turn, $9 million contract.
04:16Logan Stankoven getting signed up as well with the Carolina Hurricanes to an eight-year deal, $48 million.
04:22And then Connor Garland as well for the Vancouver Canucks.
04:26Now, he did sign a six-year deal.
04:28That was a $36 million deal.
04:30So lots of movement happening out there.
04:32Vancouver definitely looking to make that push.
04:35I'm expecting a deal for Jack Eichel today.
04:37We know with Mitch Marner coming to the Vegas Golden Knights, that Jack Eichel has probably been in the mix of conversations out there.
04:44Because they will definitely need him out there on the ice, expecting Mitch Marner to either be on that line with Jack Eichel or Thomas Hertel.
04:52Great stuff, Joe.
04:53As always, thanks for weighing in on NHL for Agency.
